If you were handicapping Ottawa Senators prospects’ chances of making the opening night NHL roster back in mid-September, Alex Formenton definitely would have qualified as a massive underdog.

Setting aside the fact he turned 18 years old the day before training camp, Formenton has just one year of major junior hockey under his belt, is listed — probably generously — at 165 pounds, and had a long lineup of more experienced forwards ahead of him on the depth chart. And he wasn’t even a first-round pick in his draft year.

By any typical hockey yardstick, Alex Formenton shouldn’t be here. And yet, here he is.

So, how does one go from virtual unknown to NHL player over the course of a couple of years?

It certainly helped that Formenton’s blazing speed made him stand out in minor hockey, piquing the interest of junior teams. It probably helped more that he somehow grew from a 5-foot-7, 15-year-old waterbug into the...